Xue Zi Ning walked out and saw three figures locked in combat.
Today, Yan Zhao still wore his moon-white brocade robe. Even facing the pincer attack from Han Xi Xia and Hua Yun Jin, he handled it with effortless grace.
His pristine moon-white brocade robe transformed into streaks of white light with each of his movements, creating such a dazzling spectacle.
"Don't just stand there, sit down," Wen Yu Xi brought over two chairs, placing one in front of her.
Xue Zi Ning accepted without ceremony and sat down. Xue Yan served the tea and refreshments.
She watched the three of them spar.
These days were truly leisurely.
"Cherish them, for such days will be rare," Wen Yu Xi said softly.
Xue Zi Ning nodded. After the grand wedding, they would return to their respective fiefs and could not enter the capital without a summons.
It wasn't a lack of trust, but time moved on, and she didn't know if their feelings for her would remain as they were initially.
Perhaps she was selfish, selfish enough to want to imprint the current scene in her memory.
From nightfall until the sky gradually turned pale, Xue Zi Ning looked up and smiled. She stood up and said, "Yan Zhao, Yun Jin, Xi Xia..."
The three, who had been fighting fiercely, inseparable, immediately stopped when they heard her words.
They saw the young woman smiling at them, her eyes bright and clear.
"Your Majesty..." Hua Yun Jin and Han Xi Xia bowed.
Xue Jing Yun stood there, the corner of his lips slightly upturned.
At this moment, Xue Zi Ning would forever remember the morning sun falling upon him, its residual light casting upon Hua Yun Jin and Han Xi Xia.
And Wen Yu Xi gazed at the young woman with gentle eyes.
In the most remote cell of the Tingwei prison, An Ping shouted until her throat was hoarse, but she still cried, "Let me out, let me out..."
"What's all the noise?" the jailer knocked impatiently on the cell door. Did she expect people to sleep? All night long, all she heard was the wailing of the An State Princess.
Princess An Ping was furious. "Who do you think you are, speaking to this princess like that? Let me tell you, the moment I get out, you'll be the first one I deal with."
"Tsk tsk, you've fallen so low as to be in jail, and you're still daydreaming. Fine, continue with your dream!" the jailer sneered.
An Ping bit her lower lip and said unwillingly, "This princess will definitely get out."
The jailer ignored An Ping and left.
An Ping collapsed on the ground. At this moment, she hated Xue Zi Ning more than ever. She was still here, and her own father didn't even care about her.
"Xue Zi Ning, I hate you..." I wish you would die immediately.
"Since you hate her so much, how about I let you get revenge?"
A sudden voice startled An Ping into silence. After a while, she saw a man emerge from the darkness.
Under the dim candlelight, she saw him in dark robes, his face handsome. She had never seen this man before.
"Who are you..."
The man walked closer and said, "Your Highness, I am Shen Yun Xiu."
An Ping frowned and shook her head, "I don't recognize you."
"It matters not. Princess, your enemy and mine are the same."
"You... you also have a grievance with Xue Zi Ning?" An Ping asked.
Shen Yun Xiu nodded, "Yes."
"Can you let me out?" An Ping stood up and grabbed the cell door, asking.
Shen Yun Xiu glanced at the lock on the cell door and chuckled, "Effortlessly."
After a long while, An Ping finally said, "There are conditions, right?"
Shen Yun Xiu nodded, "Yes."
"What conditions?" An Ping asked.
"On the day of the grand wedding, I want you to get close to Xue Zi Ning..."
An Ping was stunned, her gaze turning sinister. "Young Master Shen, you're asking me to walk into my own death."
"Scared?" Shen Yun Xiu looked up at her and asked.
"Nonsense, how could I be scared? You also know that Xue Zi Ning has many people protecting her. Asking me to go like that, wouldn't that be a suicide mission?" She hated Xue Zi Ning, wishing her dead, but that didn't mean she wanted to die with her.
"Princess, rest assured. Since I'm asking you to do this, I must have already made arrangements."
"Alright," An Ping readily agreed. She didn't have any better options now, did she?
The Empress's grand wedding was fast approaching, and preparations were underway with great urgency.
Everyone around her was busy, making Xue Zi Ning feel like she was the most idle.
Even Yan Zhao was busy with something.
He was busy every day, but thankfully, he always returned at night to sleep with her.
Finally, the day of the grand wedding arrived.
Before dawn, Yan Zhao woke her and then left for another palace to change into his wedding attire.
"What time is it?" she asked Xue Yan.
Xue Yan replied, "It's Yin Shi, Your Majesty."
Xue Zi Ning nodded, "Let's get ready."
Xue Yan stepped forward and looked at the long hair cascading down her back. "Your Majesty, hair combing should be done by elders."
Upon hearing this, Xue Zi Ning's gaze gradually deepened. After a long pause, she said, "Xue Yan..."
"A Ning, if you don't mind, I'll comb your hair for you..."
In the bronze mirror, Xue Zi Ning saw a reflection of An Ru.
Seeing the Empress remain silent, An Ru's gaze dimmed. Just then, she heard her say, "An Ru, thank you."
An Ru smiled and stepped forward, taking the comb from Xue Yan's hand. She began to comb her hair. "A Ning, I'm sorry..."
Xue Zi Ning heard An Ru's voice from behind her.
"An Ru, you have nothing to apologize to me for."
An Ru continued, "I don't know why Father King is helping An Ping. Father King, he..."
"An Ru, everyone has the right to choose their path. You don't need to defend anyone. You are not them, and they are not you. I will always recognize you as you..."
An Ru smiled, her eyes brimming with tears. "Alright, I won't mention them. Today is your wedding day, you should be happy."
"Yes," Xue Zi Ning said.
From this day forward, she would only care about those she cared about.
"Alright, it's done," An Ru said.
Xue Yan took the comb and began styling Xue Zi Ning's hair for the wedding.
"Princess An Ru, please help this servant call Lian Nu Guan," Xue Yan requested.
An Ru readily agreed and walked out. She approached Lian Nu Guan and said, "Lian Nu Guan, Xue Yan is calling you..."
For some reason, she felt Lian Nu Guan was avoiding her. She was a little confused. Was she that scary?
Looking at Lian Nu Guan's retreating back, An Ru felt a sense of déjà vu. Soon, she chuckled at her own thought.
Why would she have met Lian Nu Guan before?
"Your Majesty, it is complete." Xue Yan looked at Xue Zi Ning, who was wearing a crimson wedding dress, a dragon coronet with tassels adorning her head, and a vividly depicted flying dragon on her chest.
Beneath the tassels, her face bore a touch of alluring beauty due to the heavy makeup, but it was tempered by a hint of coldness due to her regal presence.
And her eyes were clear yet bright.
Noble and majestic, exuding an innate grace.
"Your Majesty, you look so beautiful," Xue Yan exclaimed from the bottom of her heart.
Xue Zi Ning smiled, "It's Xue Yan's skilled hands."
"Your Majesty, today is your wedding day, you must be happy," Xue Yan said, tears streaming down her face.
Her Empress had finally, after overcoming countless hardships, found her happily ever after with the Crown Prince of Xue.